Jay
Bork! Bork! Bork!
+2,006|5354|London, England
Wordy? Do you normally read picture books?
"Ah, you miserable creatures! You who think that you are so great! You who judge humanity to be so small! You who wish to reform everything! Why don't you reform yourselves? That task would be sufficient enough."
-Frederick Bastiat
KEN-JENNINGS
I am all that is MOD!
+2,973|6627|949

Its like 800 pages if I recall. Not exactly a short story
Jay
Bork! Bork! Bork!
+2,006|5354|London, England

KEN-JENNINGS wrote:

Its like 800 pages if I recall. Not exactly a short story
440, which is definitely on the slim side for a history book
"Ah, you miserable creatures! You who think that you are so great! You who judge humanity to be so small! You who wish to reform everything! Why don't you reform yourselves? That task would be sufficient enough."
-Frederick Bastiat
KEN-JENNINGS
I am all that is MOD!
+2,973|6627|949

Hmm, remembered it being bigger. It's not a history book
Jay
Bork! Bork! Bork!
+2,006|5354|London, England

KEN-JENNINGS wrote:

Hmm, remembered it being bigger. It's not a history book
It's as much history as it is philosophy. Not the point anyway. It's not a long book, and it's certainly not a difficult read.
"Ah, you miserable creatures! You who think that you are so great! You who judge humanity to be so small! You who wish to reform everything! Why don't you reform yourselves? That task would be sufficient enough."
-Frederick Bastiat
KEN-JENNINGS
I am all that is MOD!
+2,973|6627|949

It's not a philosophy book either, so I agree with your statement. Have you read it?
Jay
Bork! Bork! Bork!
+2,006|5354|London, England

KEN-JENNINGS wrote:

It's not a philosophy book either, so I agree with your statement. Have you read it?
Yes, I read it and Collapse.

How would you describe it if not as a mix of history and philosophy? He lays out his thesis based on philosophy, backs it up with history, and then bludgeons you over the head with his conclusions for 440 pages.
"Ah, you miserable creatures! You who think that you are so great! You who judge humanity to be so small! You who wish to reform everything! Why don't you reform yourselves? That task would be sufficient enough."
-Frederick Bastiat
KEN-JENNINGS
I am all that is MOD!
+2,973|6627|949

I'd call it cultural geography with a pinch of environmental science. History is just added for context and perspective. Either way, I realize it's a pedantic argument I've started.
Superior Mind
(not macbeth)
+1,755|6688
It's wordy in that Diamond repeats himself a whole lot. And it's not a history book. He examines cultural evolution using the scientific method.

However it doesn't read like a piece of formal scientific literature.

Last edited by Superior Mind (2012-02-03 14:36:45)

FEOS
Bellicose Yankee Air Pirate
+1,182|6406|'Murka

Just finished Killing Lincoln.

I know O'Reilly got some criticism for some mistakes in the book, but overall it provided an interesting take in the events surrounding Lincoln's assassination.
“Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.”
― Albert Einstein

Doing the popular thing is not always right. Doing the right thing is not always popular
Macbeth
Banned
+2,444|5581

Down with popular history!

Footnoted academic history for life!
Kmar
Truth is my Bitch
+5,695|6596|132 and Bush

History is pop culture.
Xbone Stormsurgezz
bugz
Fission Mailed
+3,311|6307

To Kindle or not to Kindle (or any other e-reader for that matter)? They're starting to look more and more appealing, especially with the difference in pricing of print vs electronic books. Which one to get?
Jay
Bork! Bork! Bork!
+2,006|5354|London, England

bugz wrote:

To Kindle or not to Kindle (or any other e-reader for that matter)? They're starting to look more and more appealing, especially with the difference in pricing of print vs electronic books. Which one to get?
If price is the concern, the Kindle is great for newly released books, but lackluster for paperbacks. They are now pricing many ebooks at a higher point than the mass market paperback equivalent.

I do enjoy my kindle very much though. Very convenient to carry it around instead of a more bulky paper book.

Pros - Convenience, pricing on some books, access to thousands of free classics, long battery life, no eye strain that you get from backlit readers, and you won't have nosy neighbors judging you on the books you read since they can't see the cover

Cons - The pricing of ebooks seems to be going up every time I turn around, which is disheartening since that was the primary benefit (similar to record companies making more money by charging $0.99 per digital song, you end up paying the same or more).

If you're getting it as a reader, get the normal kindle, and not the Fire. The Fire is just an oversized smart phone and would be painful to read a book on.
"Ah, you miserable creatures! You who think that you are so great! You who judge humanity to be so small! You who wish to reform everything! Why don't you reform yourselves? That task would be sufficient enough."
-Frederick Bastiat
FatherTed
xD
+3,936|6496|so randum
definitely get a kindle, they do kinda own, but don't stop buying normal books either

so like on a train/plane the kindle is great, saves space + good battery life, sitting at home reading it's much more enjoyable having an actual book in my hand
Small hourglass island
Always raining and foggy
Use an umbrella
Jay
Bork! Bork! Bork!
+2,006|5354|London, England
I bought the leather case with the built in book light and I much prefer it to a normal book if the book I'm reading is linear like history or fiction. If it's a reference book where I have to flip back and forth, then it's a nightmare to use
"Ah, you miserable creatures! You who think that you are so great! You who judge humanity to be so small! You who wish to reform everything! Why don't you reform yourselves? That task would be sufficient enough."
-Frederick Bastiat
Kampframmer
Esq.
+313|4838|Amsterdam
I've never read an entire book on an e-reader before. My parents both have one, so I have used them just to see how they work and feel (and to help them sort out the tech stuff) and i can honestly say that I still prefer actual paper.
if you travel a lot (like my dad does), and if you read a lot on your travels (i only read like 1 book max when I'm on vacation) they're definitely worth it.
Other than for travelling (for which I obviously don't need them), the only other plus-side i can think of is the money you can ptentially save.
Yes, e-book are getting more and more expensive as they get more and more popular, but I have downloaded about 4000 books for free for my parents so far (yes, yes, i know, but it was at their request), that's enough to last them a lifetime.
But i don't mind paying a little extra for an actual book. I like going to the bookstore, browsing the shelves and looking for what i want to buy that day and even what i might buy at my next visit.
If i do it online i will just buy 100 books that will just sit on my computer and e-reader and that i will most likely never get to read.

The simple act od flipping pages while reading adds someting very soothing to the enitre process of reading a book, romantic almost.
If you don't enjoy the actual physical act of reading, then by all means, buy and e-reader, because you will only benefit from it.
Kmar
Truth is my Bitch
+5,695|6596|132 and Bush

I was an early adopter of the kindle and I bought the first one for four hundred bucks. I think the fire is going for half of that now...lol
Xbone Stormsurgezz
Kmar
Truth is my Bitch
+5,695|6596|132 and Bush


Till I can get a hard copy..
Xbone Stormsurgezz
AussieReaper
( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
+5,761|6148|what

bugz wrote:

especially with the difference in pricing of print vs electronic books.
Well, there is this magical thing called the internet where you can download these books for free. Much like music, tv, movies.

What an age we live in.
https://i.imgur.com/maVpUMN.png
RTHKI
mmmf mmmf mmmf
+1,736|6733|Oxferd Ohire
might as well type 'spam' ar
https://i.imgur.com/tMvdWFG.png
RTHKI
mmmf mmmf mmmf
+1,736|6733|Oxferd Ohire
reading lotr for the first time in ~7 years
https://i.imgur.com/tMvdWFG.png
13urnzz
Banned
+5,830|6493

Kampframmer wrote:

If you don't enjoy the actual physical act of reading, then by all means, buy and e-reader, because you will only benefit from it.
buying a tablet has given me a new ability to read - i can resize text on the fly. i once had a voracious appetite for books, but after surgery i found it difficult the comfortably enjoy either hardbacks or even soft cover books.

what a sheltered opinion you have, i hope you are never beset by vision problems.
Kampframmer
Esq.
+313|4838|Amsterdam

13urnzz wrote:

Kampframmer wrote:

If you don't enjoy the actual physical act of reading, then by all means, buy and e-reader, because you will only benefit from it.
buying a tablet has given me a new ability to read - i can resize text on the fly. i once had a voracious appetite for books, but after surgery i found it difficult the comfortably enjoy either hardbacks or even soft cover books.

what a sheltered opinion you have, i hope you are never beset by vision problems.
Both my parents and grandparents (on both sides) have glasses.
Only a matter of time
Superior Mind
(not macbeth)
+1,755|6688
My vision starts to blur after like 45-60 minutes of reading. But I figure that's normal. I expect my vision to worsen with age as it happens to most people.

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